Clay-courters living in fear of grass specialist Henman
FRENCH Open history-maker Tim Henman believes that his stylish serve-and-volley game has got the metronomic baseliners who dominate clay court tennis so worried that many are afraid to take him on.
The ninth-seed rewrote the record books on Tuesday when his 6-2, 6-4, 6-4 demolition of Juan Ignacio Chela made him the first British player to make the semi-finals at Roland Garros for 41 years.
Should he overcome Argentinian third seed Guillermo Coria, who has lost just one clay court match in the last year, in Friday's semi-final the 29-year-old will become the first British man to get to a French Open final since Bunny Austin in 1937.
If he wins the final on Sunday, he would be the first Briton since Fred Perry clinched the crown here in 1935.
“I'm playing the right way and I'm playing well,” said Henman.
“I have seen some of the guys talking about my game and I genuinely think they don't like playing me on clay.
“You see them doing the actions of a volley.
“You get the idea of what they are complaining about and that's a good sign for me.”
Henman's theory will get its sternest test against Coria tomorrow.
The Argentinian, with 47 wins out of his last 49 matches on clay, will gladly bash away from the baseline and chase balls to all angles of the court while Henman will employ the cut and thrust of volleying on the alien surface.
Coria holds a 2-1 career record over the Briton and has yet to drop a set in the tournament.
By contrast, Henman, a four-time semi-finalist on his beloved Wimbledon grass, was almost a first round loser here having to fight back from two sets down to beat France's Cyril Saulnier.
In his fourth round clash, he needed to save two match points to subdue another Frenchman Michael Llodra.
“I never thought I would be a semi-finalist here, not before I'd have done it in the other Slams, that's for sure,” said Henman.
“But that's the satisfaction of the work I have been doing. Why stop now? I feel good about my game. I've been playing well and feel in good shape.
“I will be ready on Friday and try and go through it again.” – AFP
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